Page 3 of Hearts on Ice
He grunted, since he’d kind of expected she’d say something like that. He didn’t relish the idea of her watching him, judging him as he worked with the kids he’d coached for four years now.
“You stay in here, not out there.”
“It’s not right, you know,” she said as he opened the door to the rink, standing in the blast of cold air. “You cropped me out of all these pictures.”
“Not all of them,” he said, and pointed to a picture where just the toe of her skate made it into the photo.
With that, he walked out.
CHAPTER2
Colby Martin leaned on the window frame as she looked out onto the rink. Lord, Declan had gotten better with age, though he very clearly wanted nothing to do with her.
When Mrs. Santos and Mrs. Fletcher had approached her with this opportunity, she had tried very hard not to show how excited she was to snatch at it. She knew Declan would stonewall the plan, but she was fairly sure she could wear him down.
She wasn’t a choreographer per se, but she knew enough to put the title next to her name and give that career direction a shot. She’d designed all of their routines up until the time they made the U.S. team and had the advantage of those choreographers.
Maybe that would work out, since nothing else had.
She watched Declan on the rink with his students. She was aware of their mothers stepping out of his office to join her, but she didn’t acknowledge them, giving her full attention to her ex and his students.
He was patient with the two, and it was clear they’d worked together for years, because a lot went unspoken between them. She remembered that, when they’d been together. But his movements were a bit jerky, which told her that he was nervous, probably about her watching him. Good. Served him right for papering this place with only his picture, when he never would have won gold without her. She had been the drive, she had been the media darling.
To be honest, the idea that Declan papered this place with his photo was completely out of character. Yes, the media had loved him, also, but he had been the one who wanted to avoid the press. So seeing these pictures of him all over the place was jarring.
“What do you think? They’re pretty good, aren’t they?” Mrs. Fletcher asked, a little anxiously, at Colby’s elbow when Josh set Lexi gently down on the ice after a two-handed carry lift, then drawing her into a deep edge curve, both of them leaning back on the outer edges of their skates.
“There’s something to work with,” Colby murmured, forcing herself to focus on the kids and not the coach. “If he’s been their coach this long, he knows their limitations, no doubt. You said he’s choreographed for them in the past?”
“Yes, but now they’re ready to enter serious competition. He didn’t feel he had the skill to match. He’s a great coach, don’t get me wrong. He just thought it would be better to bring someone in to put all the elements together.”
“Competition is tough,” Colby said. “Are you sure this is something Josh and Lexi both want?”
“They do, and they’re very excited about it. I will say, Lexi more than Josh. But they’ve been at this a while. Competition has always been the goal.”
Colby nodded, her eyes still on the ice. She had wanted it more than Declan, but with them, also, competition had always been the goal. They’d both dedicated themselves to it, and to each other, to lift each other onto that podium.
She shook her head slightly to try to erase the memory of what happened next, the path that led them to disaster.
Her heart throbbed, just a little, at the remembered pain, and she thought maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.
But then she leaned forward when the pair of youngsters hit a set of twizzles that took her breath away.
Yes, these two had something, for sure. Working with them would help build her name as a choreographer.
All she had to do was convince Declan.
The two teens were tired and breathless as they came through the door nearly an hour and a half later, but they were laughing and smiling at each other. Declan followed slower, smiling indulgently. When he saw her, the smile vanished.
The lobby was almost empty now, though it had been busy earlier with several other parents who’d brought their kids. Every one of whom had recognized her. She’d smiled, signed a few autographs, posed for a few selfies, listened to whispered speculation.
Everyone in ice skating knew she and Declan had been married and had split painfully. Everyone here was wondering why she was at Declan’s gym.
Including Declan.
But now most of those students had left for school, their curious parents as well.
Declan glanced in her direction, but didn’t say anything, instead heading toward the door to the gym on the opposite side of the lobby from the snack bar and his office.
